Polly Lodge’s IB Biology classes visited The Wetlands Institute in Stone Harbor, New Jersey to study the ecology of intertidal wetlands. The large facility is surrounded by native spartina grass in the midst of the Cape May Wetlands Wildlife Management Area, also known as The Great Salt Marsh. While there, students learned about wetlands ecology, barrier beach ecology, and the interconnections of life forms in the Delaware Bay area, emphasizing the value of wetlands for humans (flood protection, storm buffers, fisheries, water filtration) and for biodiversity (migrating birds, nurseries for many species, high productivity levels).